Brothers open Stamford restaurants in tandem

Olivia Just

Updated 8:00 pm, Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Brothers and business partners Mario Lopez, left, and Alejandro Lopez pose in front of their two new Columbus Park restaurants, Azuca, at left, and Gastro Bar in Stamford, Conn., on Thursday, June 26, 2014.

The atmosphere inside the Columbus Park restaurant Gastro Bar features artwork painted on the restaurant's brick wall. Photographed in Stamford, Conn., on Thursday, June 26, 2014. Both Gastro Bar and Azuca, next door, have recently opened by the Lopez family.
Photo: Jason Rearick

The atmosphere inside the Columbus Park restaurant Azuca features ornamental mirrors. Photographed in Stamford, Conn., on Thursday, June 26, 2014. Both Azuca and Gastro Bar, next door, have recently opened by the Lopez family.
Photo: Jason Rearick

In their two-decade history working in restaurants, Mario and Alejandro Lopez have run the full gamut of the business, from dishwashing and busing tables to owning an expanding number of Fairfield County restaurants.

The Lopez brothers, along with two other siblings, Jaime and Carlos, have worked in the industry since they came to Connecticut from Ecuador 20 years ago. Now settled in Fairfield, Mario recalls getting his start washing dishes at restaurants in Darien, and Alejandro, also of Fairfield, began by busing tables in Wilton. In recent years, they have transmuted their collective experience into three restaurants: Bianco Rosso in Wilton, opened in 2012, and two new Stamford establishments, Azuca and Gastro Bar, situated side-by-side across from Columbus Park. Gastro Bar, a Mediterranean-style tapas bar, opened to customers last week, while Azuca, which will serve Latin American fare, is still gaining the finishing touches and is set to open this week.

"We always look for new places and thought Stamford was a good area," Mario said. "We're four brothers, we're a good team, so why not keep going?"

Together, Azuca and Gastro Bar take up about 5,000 square feet of space, large enough to contain the former tenant, the nightclub The Palms, but too large for a single, successful restaurant, Mario said. It was only when he'd acquired the lease for the space that the Lopez brothers thought of splitting the restaurant into two different establishments. Both restaurants took about eight months to reach completion, Mario said.

"We didn't do this in one day or one week," Alejandro said.

In managing each restaurants, the brothers will both combine and divide their attention. Alejandro will run Azuca and Gastro Bar will be managed by Carlos, while Mario and Jaime will continue to attend to Bianco Rosso in Wilton, which serves up mostly Italian food. However, all four brothers will still be involved in each of the restaurants.

"The restaurant business is a lot of work, so we all need to be here, but we all know what we're doing," Mario said. "I'll be here, not to supervise, but because they're my brothers, so I've got to see them anyway."

Touring the still-empty restaurants last week, Alejandro and Mario Lopez, both clad in slim jeans and colorful button-down shirts, noted the differences between the two, though the restaurants adjoin at the back. Azuca, which has earthy brown walls and a series of decorative mirrors as a focal point, will feature a cocktail menu that centers on rums, tequilas and mezcals. Gastro Bar, with leather chairs and brick walls adorned with paintings of matadors and flamenco dancers, offers 35 different types of wine and a mixture of French, Spanish and Italian food. Both restaurants will offer small plates for their menus, overseen by Paul Failla, executive chef in both kitchens.

"At Azuca, the food is going to be great, but simple," Failla said. "Gastro Bar will be a little more technical, with a lot more components to it."

Mario's wife, Cristina Ramirez, is another part of the restaurant's team, spearheading the design of both restaurants.

Goldstein also noted that the placement of the restaurants and the timing of their opening is particularly advantageous, just as the DSSD's summer events in Columbus Park, the Alive@Five and Jazz Up July concerts, are about to kick off. Columbus Park, in recent years, has become something of a restaurant hub, and the customer flow intensifies with the start of the concerts, she said.

"Restaurants add a wonderful aspect to these events," Goldstein said. "The opening of good restaurants creates synergy for all the restaurants."